Second Chances
by Color92
Summary: While looking for Appa in the lower ring of Ba Sing Se, Katara runs into Zuko working in the tea shop. Things spiral from there. Slight AU. Eventual Zutara.


Katara never thought it would be this much fun pretending to be someone else. Sure, the outer ring was shabby, but it had only been a few hours and she had already met two nice girls at the market. Katara knew she should have been helping look for Appa, but she was having too much fun pretending to be normal for a day. Today she was just a simple teenage refugee named Kya. At least, as far as her new friends knew.

"Hey, I know! You should come with us to this tea shop we've been going to lately. The tea is amazing and the server is really hot!" Su exclaimed excitedly.

"You should see this guy Kya, he's gorgeous. I'm basically in love." Kiri pined, unashamed.

"I think gorgeous is a bit of a stretch Kiri. I'd say he's ruggedly handsome." Su quipped "Maybe without the scar he'd be gorgeous."

Kiri stuck up her nose indignantly. "Agree to disagree"

The mention of a scar sent an unpleasant thought into Katara's head.

 _They're not talking about Zuko, are they? I guess he isn't terrible looking but there's no way I'd say gorgeous. I mean, he's the firelord's son. He's a monster. And there's no way he would be serving tea in Ba Sing Se. It's has to be a coincidence. Plenty of people have facial scars._

"So what do you say Kya?" Su asked.

Katara couldn't help but smile. "Oh okay! It's been a while since I had a good cup of tea."

 _Then I'll look for Appa._

* * *

As they walked into the small tea shop, Katara noticed that the place was almost packed, and a decent amount of the customers were girls around her age. Katara chuckled under her breath. _I guess this guy draws a crowd._

They sat at the only open table and chatted while waiting to be served. Katara had almost forgotten her earlier fears when the tea server came out to take their order.

 _It's him after all!_ Zuko tended to a few customers, not noticing Katara, who was frozen in her seat at this point.

 _I should get up and run. Or maybe I should try to fight him? He doesn't seem to be causing harm. He's just… serving tea. Why is he serving tea? This doesn't make any sense._

Katara glanced over to Kiri and Su to see them gazing lovingly at her enemy.

 _What? He's not even good looking._ Katara glanced back in Zuko's direction. Only now she looked at him through the lens of her friends. She took back her previous thought almost immediately.

He wore a simple brown and green outfit that reminded her of the one Jet wore in a way. He seemed taller and more lean. His hair had grown out in a shaggy mop that nicely framed his face. And his face really was nice. _How did I not notice before?_ He looked less harsh, less scary. Now he just looked kind of dangerous, but like, the kind of dangerous that intrigues you, like Jet. _Crap_. She gets it now.

 _This is bad, this is so not right, this is…_ he noticed her. Zuko's good eye went wider than she'd ever seen it before and he proceeded to drop the cups he was carrying. Everyone in the tea shop looked over toward the sound of the crash for a moment, then resumed what they were doing, oblivious to the situation. The two continued to stare dumbly at each other in shock.

"Do you guys know each other or something?" Kiri asked in confusion.

Katara didn't even hear her.

"Hello? Katara! Do you know him?" Su raised her voice.

"I umm…" Katara took a deep breath and tried to come to her senses. "Excuse me"

As she got up and walked toward him she could feel her shock turn to anger. _This is more like it. This is familiar._

"What on earth are you doing here?" She whispered angrily. She's right up in his face and she doesn't even realize it until it's too late. _Whoa, his eyes really are gorgeous._

 _Crap, when did I become this embarrassing_. _I'm angry, remember?_

"I should turn you in right now!" Her whispers swiftly become less whisper like.

Zuko's dumb look of shock finally morphed into one of terror. _That's good, he should be afraid._ Katara almost smiles.

"Shh, Please, just… just leave me alone. I wont look for the Avatar, I promise." Zuko whispered.

That wasn't what Katara expected to hear at all. He had to be lying. This was all part of his plan. She wouldn't fall for it!

 _But what if he's telling the truth?_ _Maybe he's trying to change, trying to start over. Maybe I should give him a chance? Look at him! Whoa, just whoa. Say something idiot!_

"I won't turn you in if you tell me what you're doing here" The words left Katara's mouth before she knew what she was saying.

Zuko seemed shocked that she didn't need more persuasion. "I'm just a refugee now. Both my uncle and I are wanted by the fire nation. Now we're in hiding here… I'm… trying to start over"

 _Start over_. Katara stared at him in awe. He'd actually had a change of heart? "Thats great Zuko"

Zuko perked up at his name and quickly glanced around the shop "It's Lee now."

"Oh, sorry!" _So stupid, of course he's using an alias, don't just say his name like that! Oh crap he's so pretty._ "I have to go!" Katara all but shouted.

"I'll see you later girls", Katara franticly waved to her new friends from across the room and nearly ran out of the shop, leaving them more confused than ever.

 _What on earth is wrong with me?_

* * *

Katara spent the rest of the day in a daze. She fruitlessly wandered in search of Appa before returning to the upper ring just before dark.

She was quite the rest of the evening before turning in for bed.

 _Did that really happen?_

As Katara lay in bed she pondered the events of the day. She had not told the group about her little run in and she now wondered if that was the right decision. What if it was all a lie and Zuko really was still a bad guy? Why had she been so quick to accept his word as the truth? He was fire nation after all. _They can't be trusted._ Katara thought of her mother's fate and felt anger begin to consume her.

 _I acted like a complete idiot! Of course he was lying! This is like Jet all over again! I got swept up in girlish excitement and I totally blew it! I should have attacked him then and there! I have to go back! I have to tell the others!_

Katara shot up from her bed. She walked over to the corner where Aang was sleeping and gently nudged him.

"Aang. Aang wake up. We have a problem."

"Hmm? What is it Katara?" Aang mumbled, rubbling his eyes.

"It's Zuko" Katara said darkly.

Aang's grogginess instantly disappeared, eyes shooting open.

"What?" he exclaimed

"He's here in the city. I saw him earlier today but I didn't say anything. I'm so sorry. We have to go after him. He could hurt someone! He could be planning to capture you!" Katara's voice grew louder as she spoke, waking Sokka and Toph.

"Katara, calm down. Where did you see him? What was he doing?" Aang asked.

"Mmwhat was whodoin'?" Sokka mumbled, sounding delirious.

"Zuko. He's in Ba Sing Se." Said Katara. Sokka's mouth hung open impossibly wide. He and Toph exchanged a look of shock.

"He was in a tea shop, of all places. Serving tea!"

At this Sokka snorts. "I can't even picture that! What would he be doing there?"

"He said he that he's hiding from the fire nation. That he's trying to start over. What a load of crap! I actually believed him at the time too. I was so naive! Honestly guys I don't know what got into me today… I acted so foolish. We have to leave now. I just hope he hasn't hurt anyone in the time since I left him. It would be all my fault!"

Toph rolled her cloudy eyes "No offense Katara, but you're being kind of ridiculous."

"I am not!" Katara steamed. "You don't even know Zuko. You don't know the things he's capable of!"

"Everyone just settle down!" Aang exclaimed, ever the peacemaker. "We don't know where he's living so we can't go after him right now. We'll leave first thing in the morning. Where is this tea shop, Katara?"

* * *

"I'm seeing it with my own two eyes and I still don't believe it!" Sokka remarked in awe, as he took his turn peaking though the tea shop window.

Zuko was taking the order of a pretty earth kingdom girl. She was obviously ogling him, but he seemed completely oblivious, caught up in his eternal brooding.

"Yeah yeah, so what's the plan, plan guy?" Toph quipped, leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

"Keep it down guys" Aang murmured nervously.

"Alright," Sokka whispered "We'll need proof if we're gonna turn him in. So I say we one of us should flag down the police while the rest of us attack him. He should fire bend back and then we're golden"

"What about Iroh?" Katara asked.

"If he comes out and fire bends too that's great. If he doesn't I'm honesty not that concerned." Sokka whispered "Zuko's the one we need to worry about lets be real. I'm sure that old man loves working here. He honestly seems like an okay guy. He'll probably be glad we took that prick off his hands."

At that, Katara and Aang exchanged a look of concern.

"If you say so Sokka. Let's do this already" Katara said impatiently, making her way to the door of the shop.

"Why don't you get ahold of the police Toph" Sokka suggested, following his sister.

"Whatever you say, boss" Toph replied sarcastically, disinterested with the whole ordeal.

Aang joined Katara and Sokka by the door.

Katara's hand hesitated on the handle for a beat. A strange and sudden nervousness coming over her.

 _Don't screw up this time._

She opened the door.

* * *

This is my first attempt at writing fan fiction so bear with me here. Sorry for typos and what not. Chapter 2 is on it's way.


End file.
